


Sweet Love

by Pembrooke330



Category: Archie Comics, Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Breakup, Crushes, Cute Sweet Pea (Riverdale), F/M, Friends to Lovers, Protective Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Resolved Sexual Tension, Riverdale, Soft Sweet Pea (Riverdale), Sweet Vee, Veronica Lodge - Freeform, heart broken veronica lodge, jughead and veronica breakup, ronnie lodge, sweet pea and veronica, sweetpea and veronica, sweetvee, veronica and sweet pea, veronica and sweetpea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-09
Packaged: 2019-11-14 04:33:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18045563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pembrooke330/pseuds/Pembrooke330
Summary: Sweet Pea is there for Veronica when she needs him most. And it turns into something he never expected...





	Sweet Love

_I’m here if you need me._

Veronica read the text message over and over as she took a sip of her vodka and cranberry juice. She’d been sitting at the bar of La Bonne Nuit nursing her broken heart.

Breaking up with Jughead had been the hardest thing she’d ever done, but she had to do it, and she was fairly certain that she was more upset about it than Jughead was.

For months he’d been putting his relationship with her on the back burner, making everything else a priority over her. She didn’t know why. He said he still loved her, but he just couldn’t make the time the way he once had. That he felt more of an obligation to spend time with her than he should, that being someone’s boyfriend was too much to be responsible for.

“Well, I can fix that for you, Jughead.” Veronica had told him a few nights earlier.

“It’s over.”

She couldn’t believe the impact that just two little words could have.

And what made it even worse was that Jughead hadn’t objected, hadn’t begged her to give him another chance, hadn’t protested, hadn’t even apologized.

She had stared at his face, waiting for him to say something she could hold onto. Something that would indicate that there was still a chance they could work things out after the realization set in.

But he’d said nothing, only looked at her with a face full of guilt.

Without saying another word, she left his trailer and drove home. She had cried herself to sleep, not wanting to believe that Jughead was no longer hers.

She had never imagined falling in love with him in the first place, but she had when he and the other Serpents had started working security at her speakeasy and also providing her protection from any goons of her father’s or her father’s enemies.

Spending so much time together had led an undeniable attraction that they’d eventually had to explore. And it had been incredible.

Veronica had never experienced that kind of thrill and excitement, passion and romance that she had experienced with Jughead Jones.

The thought of it ever ending was so far from her mind that it had been a major blow to her ego and security to find that it couldn’t last, no matter how much she had wanted it to.

She was sad, she was hurt, but she knew that dwelling on it wouldn’t get her anywhere. And the last thing she wanted was for Jughead to know that she was sitting around drowning in her tears.

She picked up her phone after reading the text message one more time. She texted back.

_Hey Sweet Pea…thank you. What are you doing right now?_

\---

 

Sweet Pea handed a beer to Veronica Lodge as she sat on the makeshift porch in the front of his small trailer along the banks of Sweetwater River.

He liked the spot he had chosen for his home. It was peaceful with the sound of the river a constant soothing salve to his anxious soul.

Veronica smiled up at the Christmas lights he’d strung up around the trees and the overhang he’d made, offering a soft glow in the pitch dark of the forest.

“It’s like a little oasis in the middle of nowhere.” Veronica said before taking a sip of her beer.

Sweet Pea chuckled as he took a seat in the chair next to her.

“Exactly what I was going for.” He replied.

Veronica sighed as she sat back in her chair, staring ahead, lost in thought.

He knew she was hurting. It was written all over her face. And there was a part of him that wished he could smack some sense into Jughead Jones for letting a girl like Veronica get away. Jughead would surely regret it sooner than later. Sweet Pea had no doubt about that.

In the meantime, he would do his best to help her through the breakup however he could. He cared about her too much to let her try to navigate it alone. Plus, he had gone through something similar with Josie the year before and he knew how tough it was to get through it without someone to lean on.

He didn’t have ulterior motives, but he couldn’t deny that he’d had feelings for Veronica ever since she’d started spending more time around the Serpents. She had employed them, had begun dating Jughead, and it had led to a lot of nights hanging out at parties, school dances, and La Bonne Nuit.

During all of those times, Sweet Pea had found himself slowly falling for her without ever having meant to.

She was smart as hell, and funny. She was kind, always asking how he was doing or if he needed help with assignments in their history class that they had together.

Veronica never let a security shift at the club go by without having Pop cook up burgers and fries for the Serpents, always making sure that they were given a meal with no charge.

She was beautiful and sexy, and he was completely blown away every time she sang on the stage for her speakeasy patrons. Her talents seemed endless and she gave her whole heart to those she cared for.

It hadn’t taken long for Sweet Pea to figure out why Jughead, who was so different from her, and who had loathed her at one time, had now fallen in love with her.

“It doesn’t make sense, but it just is what it is. I want to be with her. I’m crazy about her.” Jughead had told him one night when they were getting off of their shift at the club.

Sweet Pea had felt a pain in his chest and a sickness in his stomach at the confession. He knew Jughead meant what he said because he didn’t often talk so openly about something so personal. For him to confess how he felt about Veronica meant that he was serious about her. And if he wanted her, nothing would get in his way of making it happen.

And it had happened. Veronica had fallen for him too.

So Sweet Pea was relegated to picking up Jughead’s slack so that Jughead could spend time with Veronica. And spending time with Veronica seemed to be the only thing Jughead was ever focused on.

Sweet Pea was forced to watch the two of them together, and as much as he didn’t want to be bitter about it, he was.

But he never said anything, never let on that his heart ached every time he had to watch Jughead and Veronica making out in corners, or hear them making love in Veronica’s office while he stood guard to make sure no one disturbed them. He never let it be known that he didn’t think Jughead treated Veronica the way she deserved, instead treating her more like a prize that he had won.

Because being with Veronica had proven to the town of Riverdale that Jughead was worthy of someone that came from the background that Veronica came from. That someone with money and status and a trust fund, could love a trailer park kid from the wrong side of the tracks.

Sweet Pea didn’t doubt that Jughead loved Veronica, but he didn’t know how genuine Jughead’s love had really been.

“Want another beer?” Sweet Pea asked, breaking the silence.

It was the first thing either one of them had said for the past half an hour as the two just sat, listening to the river flowing somewhere out in the dark along with music from Sweetpea’s phone.

He didn’t want to try to fill the silence with words. He just wanted to be a warm body in Veronica’s presence so she wouldn’t be all alone in her room at the club.

“Sure…” She replied.

“And…thank you so much, P. This…I needed this.” She said with a contented sigh.

Sweet Pea nodded, smiling before he went back in to get two more beers for him and Veronica.

But when he returned, he saw Veronica standing up from her chair, as well as an unexpected visitor.

“Jughead?”

Jughead Jones quickly turned his glare from Veronica to Sweet Pea.

“You couldn’t wait at least a _week_ before trying to steal my girl, Sweets?” He seethed, his jaw clenched in anger.

Sweet Pea rolled his eyes as he handed Veronica the beer he’d brought for her. She thanked him, but never took her eyes off of Jughead as she scowled at him.

“Knock it off, man. We’re just hanging out.” Sweet Pea replied nonchalantly.

But inside he was beyond pissed off that Veronica had been having such a calm night hanging out with him, only to have Jughead ruin it.

“And I’m not your girl anymore, Jug. So don’t _dare_ be mad at Sweet Pea. He’s being a friend to me right now.”

Jughead scoffed.

“I’ll bet he is. He’s been in love with you even longer than I have. He’d be _any_ kind of friend you need right now just to get to be with you.” Jughead replied with a satisfied smirk.

“Wow…thanks, Jones. Was that _really_ necessary?” Sweet Pea asked, not quite understanding why his leader was being such an asshole all of a sudden.

He really had no right to be.

It had been so obvious that Jughead wasn’t that interested in being with Veronica anymore, whether he really loved her or not.

Jughead had almost lost his title as Serpent King when he was letting his duties fall on too many other people. He hadn’t been leading the way he needed to be, having been far too focused on his relationship with Veronica, and bringing down Hiram Lodge, to even notice that the Serpents were questioning whether he was cut out to lead them any longer.

The fear of losing his gang had finally caused Jughead to spend less time with his girlfriend and more time trying to keep his kingdom intact.

He’d gotten so into his job as a gang head that it was almost as if he’d forgotten that there was even a girl in his life. He couldn't find the balance, and it would cost him.

But he hadn’t had the balls to break things off with Veronica, so instead, he’d made her so miserable that she had been backed into a corner, forced to be the one to end things so that she could gain back some sense of pride and self-worth while Jughead got to look like the one who'd been dumped by the pretty, rich girl. 

It was incredibly unfair to Veronica, and Sweet Pea loathed Jughead for putting her in that position.

“Don’t act like some angry ex-boyfriend all of a sudden when you couldn’t be bothered with me for the last month of our relationship.” Veronica spat.

“Being around you is the _last_ thing I want right now. So...just leave, Jughead.”

Jughead gave her a wounded look. He hadn’t expected her to be so angry. But that was one of the stages of going through heartbreak. And it was a good stage for her to be in.

“Fine. Fuck both of you.” Jughead replied, his hands in fists as he walked back to his motorcycle and took off down the dirt road to the main highway.

Sweet Pea sighed as he looked over at Veronica.

“I really had no underhanded intentions, Ronnie. I just wanted to be here for you…” He sighed.

Veronica shook her head.

“I know, Sweet Pea. And I know _you_. You have a good heart, and I’m grateful for you. It was your presence alone that helped me to be able to tell Jughead to leave. A few hours ago, I was in such a vulnerable place. I don’t think I would have handled things the way I just did if I hadn’t known that you had my back. So…again…thank you.”

Sweet Pea gave her a weak smile.

“Anytime.”

Veronica took a deep breath.

“So…is what Jughead said true?” She asked as she stepped closer to him.

Sweet Pea ran a hand through his hair before taking a long swig of his beer and tossing the bottle into the bed of the broken down truck that sat on the lot next to his trailer, trying to delay admitting to her the truth.

“ _Fuck_ …I’m sorry…but…yeah. It’s true.”

He felt terrible. The last thing he wanted was for Veronica to think that he was only there for her because he was in love with her. When the truth was, he was there for her because he just loved her, regardless of how deep his feelings went.

He’d be there for her no matter what. Because she deserved it.

But Veronica smiled at him.

“Don’t be sorry, Sweet Pea. I’m flattered…and _honored_. And…I kind of want to kiss you right now.”

Sweet Pea’s eyes widened.

“You…you don’t have to do that, Veronica. I know you’re in a weird place right now.”

But she shook her head.

“I know I don’t have to.” She said as she stepped even closer and wrapped her arms around Sweet Pea's neck as she stood up on her toes.

“But…I _want_ to. I _need_ to.” She whispered before closing the gap between them by capturing his mouth with her own.

It took his brain a few seconds to register what was happening. Veronica Lodge was kissing him, and he was just standing there like an idiot.

He demanded to himself that he do something, to not waste this moment that might not happen again.

So he took her face in his hands and kissed her back.

It was gentle at first, growing in intensity as her lips parted and allowed his tongue to sweep softly over hers.

She sighed as she relaxed her body against his, as if she had finally released something within herself that he had managed to unlock.

He had no idea for how long he had been kissing her when they both gently pulled away and regarded each other, smiles on both their faces.

“That was really… _fantastic_.” She said, her voice shaky from how breathless she was.

“I’d always been convinced that you were probably an amazing kisser, P. And I was right.”

Sweet Pea chuckled.

“Well…I’m glad I didn’t disappoint.” He replied.

Veronica stepped back and took a sip of her beer as her other hand held Sweet Pea’s.

She then tossed her bottle into the truck, just like Sweet Pea had done earlier.

“I need to get over my breakup, and I don’t want to use you to do it, Sweet Pea. You’re too good of a guy for me to ever want to take advantage of you.” She began as she looked into his eyes.

“But…I’m interested. And I don’t want you to date anyone else. I…I want to spend more time with you…if you…if you’d like to spend time with me too.”

Sweet Pea’s heart was beating so hard, he prayed she couldn't hear it.

“Of course I would, Ronnie.” He replied as his fingers stayed looped with hers.

“We’ll take it slow. As slow as you want.”

Veronica grinned, and he could tell she was nervous. It wasn’t an emotion he’d ever imagined her feeling while being with him. But it was that sort of nervousness that you felt whenever you were around someone you liked, someone you wanted to kiss again.

Sweet Pea was elated. Veronica liked him.

And maybe someday soon, she would love him. Just like he loved her.

 

The End.

 

 


End file.
